1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for aligning elongated pieces with a long length relative to a width thereof, in a direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the elongated pieces and successively feeding the elongated pieces into a device for feeding the elongated pieces to a predetermined location.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tubular pieces having a predetermined length for a radiator of an automobile or a heater core of a heat exchanger are usually made by successively cutting a tubular blank made of an elongated metal sheet cut to a predetermined length by a cutting device. The cut tubular pieces are successively fed in the longitudinal direction while being guided by a guide means. In order to automatically feed the tubular pieces into a receiver, the tubular pieces, which are successively fed in the longitudinal direction thereof from the cutting device, must be aligned in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the pieces, to enable the tubular pieces to be automatically and successively fed to, for example, a core assembling machine.
Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication (Kokoku) No. 49-3581 discloses an apparatus for aligning and feeding elongated pieces.
In this known apparatus, a loading device (hereinafter referred to as a receiver) having aligning guides is provided on one side of a passage of the elongated pieces (tubular pieces), which extends in the longitudinal direction of the tubular pieces, and a pushing mechanism is provided on the opposite side of the passage to directly and successively push the pieces, when the pieces come in front of the receiver.
However, in this known apparatus, since the tubular pieces moving in the longitudinal direction thereof are directly pushed into the receiver by the pushing mechanism, which is in the form of a swingable lever, the tubular pieces forced into the receiver collide with the aligning guides at the longitudinal edges of the pieces, due to inertia, and are then rebounded therefrom in the opposite longitudinal direction, especially when the feed rate of the elongated pieces is high, e.g., about 50 m/min. This rebound causes a misalignment of the tubular pieces, especially at the longitudinal edges thereof.
Furthermore, since the tubular pieces are successively forced into the receiver by the swingable lever, if the rate at which the pieces are pushed by the swingable lever exceeds 10 pieces/sec., the tubular pieces may be deformed by the pushing force, and thus the pieces fall out of the receiver because of the elasticity given thereto, making it difficult to push the tubular pieces into the receiver.